After Kakashi stabbed the kunai into the ground, a ripple of space-time followed—Genma Shiranui and two others arrived with Seiryu.
Wearing the Fifth Hokage's ceremonial robes and the sword at his waist, Seiryu appeared at the gates of Grass Ninja Village.
Landing, Seiryu signaled Genma's team to stand aside, then looked straight at the Grass Village leader.
"Wh-who are you?" The Grass leader was so intimidated by Seiryu's killing intent he could barely speak.
"Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Seiryu." After introducing himself, Seiryu strode alone into the village.
"What are you doing? Even if you're Hokage, you can't just barge into another ninja village!" The Grass leader grit his teeth and blocked Seiryu's path.
The other Grass ninja followed their leader, blocking the gate.
Seiryu glanced at those blocking him with indifference. Entering Sage Mode, silver-gray markings appeared on his face, and his Mangekyō Sharingan spun open.
A thunderous boom sounded—a blue lightning bolt, thick as a thigh, struck one meter in front of Seiryu.
Dark thunderclouds, source unknown, shrouded the entire sky over Grass Village.
Bolt after bolt of lightning descended, forcing the Grass ninja out of the way. A path opened for Seiryu.
Without a word, Seiryu walked into the village, his Sage Mode sense enveloping everything. He soon found two abnormal life forces—one large, one small—and headed straight for them.
The Grass leader, forced back by thunder, paled when he saw where Seiryu was heading.
"Lord Hokage, that area's a Grass Village secret—don't go too far!" the leader shouted, chasing after Seiryu.
He wanted to stop Seiryu, but the relentless lightning made it impossible.
Very soon, Seiryu arrived at the prison holding Karin and her mother.
The Grass leader risked his life to block Seiryu at the entrance. "Lord Hokage, please stop here! Inside is a Grass Village secret. Do you really want war between our villages?"
"Move aside." Seiryu finally spoke his first words since arriving.
The next instant, Seiryu drew his sword.
The moment the sword left its sheath, Seiryu became a streak of blue lightning.
To the Grass ninja, there was only a flash—then they were lying on the ground.
At the entrance to the secret chamber, Seiryu sheathed his sword and looked coldly back at them. "That was only the back of my blade. Your fate will be decided by the people inside."
With that, he kicked open the door and headed down to the underground cell.
The noise woke the two prisoners. Anri Uzumaki rushed to her daughter, shielding her.
Seiryu quickly dispatched the guards and opened the cell door.
Seeing the mother and daughter cowering in the corner, Seiryu frowned, took a deep breath, and softened his expression as he approached quietly.
"I—I can heal your wounds. Please don't hurt my daughter," Anri stammered, shielding Karin tighter.
"Sorry. I'm late." Seiryu took off his ceremonial cloak and wrapped it around them. "The nightmare is over."
"Who… who are you?" Anri stared blankly at Seiryu's divine, Sage Mode visage.
"The Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure in the Land of Fire, Uchiha Seiryu. I'm here to bring you home," Seiryu smiled.
At that moment, the Grass leader stumbled in, forcing a smile as he spoke to Seiryu:
"Lord Hokage… We just recently discovered them and were about to notify Konoha. Now that you're here, please take them."
Seiryu ignored him and softly asked Anri, "Do you remember who hurt you here?"
Anri nodded.
"Lord Hokage, are you really going to start a war with us?" the leader bit out.
"War?" Seiryu smiled coldly. "Are you even qualified?"
As he spoke, inky black bones appeared around Seiryu, shielding Karin and her mother. In moments, a hundred-meter-tall war god—Susanoo—rose in the center of Grass Village, crushing houses in an instant.
The giant Susanoo was clad in black armor, silver sage runes glowing across its surface.
The Grass leader was caught in Susanoo's hand, struggling desperately, his face red, but unable to move even a finger.
"You point them out, I'll kill them. Don't let a single one who harmed you go," Seiryu said to Anri inside Susanoo's head.
Anri was dazed—the past few minutes were beyond her comprehension.
Just as she was still processing, Karin poked her head from under the cloak and pointed at the Grass leader in Susanoo's grip.
"It's him! He always brought people to bully Mom!" Karin shouted.
"Karin!" Anri hastily tried to silence her.
"It's okay," Seiryu said gently. "Little one, he bullied your mother, right?"
With a squeeze, Susanoo crushed the Grass leader into a rain of blood over the village.
"Leader!" Grass ninja wailed, but none dared resist before the hundred-meter Susanoo.
Anri, coming to her senses, flashed with hatred and pointed at a hiding Grass elder. "That's the one who brought us here."
"Is that so?" Seiryu nodded, Susanoo's hand going to its sword.
"And those there—they all drained my life force," Anri said through gritted teeth.
"Lord Hokage, wait!" a man yelled from the roof of the tallest building. "Grass Village is willing to apologize and compensate! Please show mercy!"
"Now you know you're wrong?" Seiryu's voice echoed through the village. "Too bad—it's only when you're about to die. Konoha already gave you a chance."
Susanoo slowly drew its sword—Futsunomitama, the divine blade of the thunder god Takemikazuchi.
As it left the scabbard, the blade flashed coldly, singing in the storm as thunderclouds rolled overhead.
Susanoo raised the sword high; lightning rained down, striking every chakra signature in Grass Village.
Explosions and screams echoed throughout.
In Seiryu's lock, any chakra-bearing life was struck by divine thunder.
A minute later, Susanoo sheathed its sword. The storm receded, and a torrential rain washed away the filth.
In one minute, nearly all Grass Village jonin were dead—only a few prodigies among the lower ranks survived, as they had never drained Anri's life. For them, Seiryu had given only a mild shock, survivable if they were strong enough.
Still, the vast majority of the village's ninja were dead or injured.
Those who survived were in shock. Some of the weaker ones even knelt, prostrating before the towering Susanoo.
Their will was shattered. Before this godlike being, no one dared even think of resistance.
Inside Susanoo, Anri and Karin stared in disbelief.
Susanoo strode forward, crushing more buildings in central Grass Village, and stopped before the man who had pleaded for mercy.
He was gasping, having barely survived the lightning by using wind chakra, but now completely drained. He couldn't even raise his hand as Susanoo closed in.
Susanoo stopped before him.
Seiryu looked back at Anri. "Did this man hurt you?"
Anri shook her head. "I've never seen him, so I don't think so."
"Good. Your conscience saved your life," Seiryu nodded at the man. "Now listen carefully."
The man nodded weakly.
"From now on, you are Grass Village's new leader," Seiryu announced.
"What happened today was brought on by your own actions. This is just a warning. If you seek revenge, I welcome it, but you won't be so lucky next time."
"Yes…" the man forced out.
"Also, for abusing Uzumaki survivors, I want to see 1.5 billion ryo in compensation—cash or equivalent ninja tools—within two weeks. If you don't pay Konoha by then, I'll come collect it myself. Understood?"
"Yes…" the man said weakly.
Seiryu nodded. Susanoo turned and strode out, smashing the village gate as it left.
Outside Grass Village, Susanoo faded as Seiryu, Anri, and Karin landed gently.
The medical ninja accompanying them hurried forward to check the mother and daughter.
After a brief look at Anri, the medic's face changed.
"How is she?" Seiryu asked quickly.
"We need Lady Tsunade for this. Her body is severely depleted. If she weren't an Uzumaki, she'd have died already," the medic said.
Seiryu sighed and turned to Anri. "Sorry we were late. Come back to Konoha with us."
"Konoha?" Anri's lips trembled. Even though Seiryu had saved her and Karin and taken revenge, she still couldn't let down her guard. She knew what her bloodline meant to a ninja village.
"Don't worry—no one will ever steal your life force again. I swear it as Hokage. Besides, you have kin in Konoha."
"My… kin?" Anri was startled.
"Yes, you should know Uzumaki Kushina, right?" Seiryu said.
"Princess Kushina?" Anri had heard the name as a child in Uzushio before her exile.
"Her son is now in Konoha—my student. Konoha will protect every comrade, including you and your daughter."